In an attempt to save the world's forests
A4 now replaces B5 so, unless your name is Todd, you'll have to fold carefully
before stuffing this issue in that old shoe box.
But, first of all, just stretch out on
the tatami, pour yourself a Steinlager, and reminisce on all
those missed chances.
What a gorgeous day: blue skies, 31?C, sunny,
dry, still and not so humid. A Kytes only double-wicket game was organised
with each pair receiving 6 overs, 5 runs being deducted for every wicket
conceded.
The pitch, softened up by a short visit
from typhoon no.5, was left alone, so another strip was found at right
angles to the normal one, but the heavy growth of grass led to a very low
bounce with which all had to contend.
Todd and a beginner, Matsushita-san, did
a kind of dummy run so everyone could get warmed up. Two balls
were lost in the Abe as pukeman went on the rampage. Matsushita showed
some surprisingly good technique for his first at-bat and when we learned
that he is a tennis coach we began to understand why.
When Antony and Kevin went in all were
nicely loosened up and the pair faced a batch of decent bowling.
In particular Mark, with good pace and accuracy, was difficult to get away.
However the running between the wickets was faultless
and short singles were stolen from most deliveries. Despite being bowled
by Neil from two consecutive deliveries, Antony and Kev notched up 19 runs
which set the target; not an easy one given the conditions.
Next up were Mark and Ichikawa-san who
also faced some tight bowling. Whenever they seemed to get
going they would find some way of getting out, the unluckiest being a ricochet
from Robert's pads that produced a stumping. Net score -1.
R-G M and Neil were the next pair in (with
Kevin ably undertaking the keeping duties) and they also found runs
hard to come by. Neil connected with a few, but wickets fell, including
a stunning direct-hit run out from Antony, and
they ended on a round zero.
t was a similar story for Malcolm and Skip.
Although runs were hit their hopes were dashed by no less than 6
clean bowleds with Robert leading the way. A 7th wicket went when Takashi
dived to his right to grasp a firm hook from Skip inches from the ground,
a super catch, and the net score was 2.
This left the lefties, Todd and Takashi.
Toddy showed us that his previous display had been no fluke as he
proceeded to spew the ball all over the place again. Takashi joined in
and in no time they were well ahead of the target. In fact they didn't
lose a wicket till the final over, an avoidable run out, and they ran out
undisputed winners with a net score of 50.
This beautiful Sunday had seen another
cracking day of Kytes' cricket, proving that we don't always need
opposition. Yoshida's of course followed, and it was great to have Kyoko
with Arthur and Belle, and Bruce and Yoko with
Tetsu come along.
The pagan Captain Slog is still at it. The sun must have got to him again as the autumnal equinox of Sept 23rd roused him into verse once more. This time it was more of a song than a chant that your editor was forced to endure, as Slog burst into his office suite and bawled the following, completely off-pitch (with due apologies to a certain Daniel Boone; not the one with a beaver on his Uncle Ned):
*Hi! Hi! Hi! Beautiful Sunday,
This is my, my, my beautiful day,
When we play, play, play cricket on Sunday,
Oh my, my, my, what a beautiful day".
In a landmark poll the Kytes CC has voted
to admit women into its club for the first time in its entire 3- year history.
There was an unprecedented 10% turnout and the required two thirds majority
was reached, with two members voting for, and one against.
In order to track down the dissenting voice
our investigative reporter was immediately alerted. He went straight
to Todd and asked why he had voted against. It transpires that the paceman
had misread the motion and had understood it to be, *Do
you believe Kytes members should admit they are women?'
Further investigation also revealed that
Janne had spoilt his ballot paper by obliterating it with some babe's
telephone number, and that R-G M posted his to Lord's.
It also came to light that one of the votes
in favour came from our Druid supporter who asked the pertinent
question, "Who else is supposed to collect the cow-dung?" Somehow the other
vote came from Hiroko. We're not sure which one but, since they're
the only ones who appear to know what is going on
during the games, it seems fitting that one of them cast the deciding vote.
Many of the Kytes were jubilant at the
outcome. "It's a great day for cricket", blubbered Skip. "It's a great
day for my pecker" added Nick, though Randy was heard whining, "Why now?
Why now?"
So the flaps of the Randitent are now open
to women too. Sceptics may see it as a step in the wrong direction, but
the reformists can point out that no-one ever gave a toss before and that
women have always been an integral part of the club. Still
now it's official, and all members are now free to have as many women
in the club as they wish.
With many regulars missing and a player
short, it was a somewhat depleted team that left Shizuoka station
at 8.50am for the 2 hour drive down the Tomei to Nagoya. Having twice been
visited by Nagoya CC this season it was our chance to reciprocate
on another beautiful, sunny, dry and still day, 25??C, perfect for cricket.
The Nagoya team now have a new home ground,
still in the Miyoshi area, but at a different school. Sadly
there's barely a blade of grass in the hard gravel, but at least the mat
is still around and, although the bounce was a little soft, it was consistent.
The rough fielding conditions were not going to be easy for
either side.
Skip won the toss and elected to bowl,
plumping for an opening attack of Neil and Takashi. There were only three
regular bowlers, so it was planned that Todd would be pitted against the
middle order, proven strikers of anything loose.
In the second over Neil took the first
wicket with his first delivery, as Martin pouched a smart catch at short
cover. It was not long before Takashi claimed the second as debutant Niall
made another very safe catch at deep mid-on. Both our openers had
adapted well to the conditions and were pitching the ball well up. Overpitching
was certainly preferable to anything short, which begged to be smashed.
The Sri Lankans eventually got going with a few well-cracked shots,
and anything that pierced the field skimmed at speed over the gravel
to the boundary.
One of those characteristic c&b's from
Neil brought the Kytes back into the game, and two excellent 7-over spells
from the openers culminated in a well-deserved second wicket for Takashi,
clean bowled with a pearler. He had bowled with
clever variation and rare control, undoubtedly his best bowling
for a couple of seasons.
Time for Todd. Most of the shine was lost
overs ago, but Todd adapted well too, and bowled with accuracy from the
start. It was Francis however, at the other end, who struck next as a carefully
delivered beamer was swotted straight to Skip. It wasn't pretty, and there
was some controversy as to whether it was a no-ball or not, but it was
given out, so out it was.
Martin was next to bowl but an inauspicious
start saw him struggling to find any rhythm. Thebatsmen, whilst never dominating,
were all wading in with decent scores and, after 17 overs, the score was
89/5, a balanced position. The fielding had been generally very good and
once Martin came to grips with Francis' cruise missile returns intended
for Robert, the situation got even better. Bizen made a number of
sharp stops, Ichikawa and Todd some fine throws, Niall too, but the flow
of runs was never contained.
Martin gradually found some line and length,
as the Nagoyans continued to throw the bat, and was rewarded with a wicket,
St Francis taking a superb over-the-shoulder catch.
Todd weighed in with a wicket himself,
an lbw of all things, in a fine spell. We were running out of bowlers though.
Bizen had an over, bagging a wicket as Francis held on to a beauty at square
leg. In fact all the catches had been snapped up
until Skip stubbed his finger on a stinging slash. The wounded digit
ballooned to the point where he would later be unable to hold a bat.
Martin, meanwhile, forced another lbw decision,
before Niall turned his arm, getting some rough treatment from the Nagoyan
tail-enders who were scoring faster than at any time in the innings. A
well-judged outfield catch from Todd (he moved this time) gave Martin his
third wicket and Nagoya were all out for 192 with 4 of the 35 overs
remaining.
Over a rather tasty biriani the batting
tactics were considered. The plan was to draw the sting from Nagoya's
pacy opening pair, leaving the way clear for the Kytes' middle order to
mount an attack later on . But Azuman and Reez
had other ideas. They fairly ripped into the batting. Only Takashi looked
to be in any kind of form until Martin and Todd were eventually able to
stabilise things. The trouble was that we were already 17/5 ,and the Sri
Lankans could afford to relax a little.
Some respectability was added as Martin
and Todd mixed dogged defence with a few well-struck shots. Niall
also displayed some firm resilience as well as some hefty blows, ending
not out on 16, equal top-scorer with Martin. At 69/8, with
Skip indisposed, the innings was closed and Nagoya CC secured victory
by a crushing 123 runs.
An indication of the way the game went
can be summed up by a glance at the scorebook, revealing
that nearly all the Nagoyan batsmen were caught, whereas the Kytes were
virtually all bowled or lbw. MVP:Takashi.
Despite the heavy loss it had been a highly
enjoyable game in great weather against very hospitable
opposition. Even though the ground was too abrasive for comfort a 4 game
series, 2 home, 2 away, was discussed for next
season. It is greatly hoped that the 2?5 games this season can revitalise
the 13 year competitive friendship between the teams.
Play was still underway at the ACO. A maiden
had been bowled by your undercover reporter to a characteristically stubborn
R-G M, who had let precious little slip about what he puts in the lunch-time
curry. At the other end Takashi had dozed through another maiden, so there
was a second chance to have a tilt at the two-legged amphibian.
The interrogation continued as your investigator
strode in to deliver the first question, straight and true.
"So what's in it then? Just spill the beans,
will you?" was the plea.
"Huh, beans. Try chick peas instead". Touch!.
The musketeer played what can only be described as a classic forward
defensive stroke, which ended with a challenging follow through.
"You English know nothing about cooking",
he scoffed as the blade was flourished with some panache.
Nevertheless there was an embryo of hope
for your reporter: chick peas; an unexpected breakthrough. Buoyed
with this soup on the next delivery was placed in precisely the same spot.
"What else is there? Stop mincing around."
"Mince, you're starting to get it, aren't
you?" A neat half-volley to point, where a hungry looking Kev was planted.
The oyster was starting to open up.
At this point, a voice was heard from point.
To everyone's surprise Kev called for a helmet. Surely he didn't feel in
too much danger.
"I'm starving and I don't want to listen
to all this crap about the curry", was the elegant explanation.
Anyhow your intrepid reporter really felt
that he was getting stuck in to the spicy goo at long last. Chick
peas, mince, the enthusiasm was returning. A cunning question was plucked
out of nowhere for the third delivery.
"Ever tried chicken legs?" Would he be
foxed by the leg-spinner?
This shot in the dark from the bowler led
to another from the batsman as the Gallic gourmet got a thick outside edge
and the ball squeezed between 5th slip and gully.
"Yes!" shouted the chef d'equipe.
"No!" disagreed non-striker Takashi, suddenly
snapping out of his trance (What did he know about the curry anyway?).
Your eager reporter, spotting a chance,
had a quick word in Takashi's ear on the way back to his mark.
"Chicken legs?"
"No sledging, thank you!" We turned to
face the solid figure of umpire Bruce preventing any foul play, and
this was from Isetan's Santa. The irony of an Aussie roasting a POM, who
was grilling a Japanese was completely lost on the Gaul, who was
still simmering at the striker's end.
"I said "Yes", didn't you hear? I don't
want any ducks this season." Hold on a moment, we've got something here.
Sometimes the master of the gunge includes chicken legs, as well as chick
peas and mince, but no duck.
After all this fracas there were still three
deliveries left. Let's stick with the sly stuff; this time a googly.
"How about pork?" Your reporter realised
too late that googlies weren't his forte and the ball went careering down
leg-side bouncing off a hook, peg or spigot that secured a strap, flap
or flange, and flew straight into keeper Neil's gloves.
"Wide!" shouted the batsman, as the umpire
was about to step back and open his arms. !Well, it was well wide
of the mark", continued the Frenchman. So another deduction: no pork; but
still it left a million other things that could
be in the spicy slop.
For some wholly inexplicable reason your
frustrated columnist threw caution to the wind and decided to try a flipper,
but it was another delivery that he hasn't quite perfected.
"Well, what about dolphin then?" The ball
squirted out from those long digits just before the point of delivery,
flew in a sweet arc towards the non-striker, gently dislodging his cap.
This caused him to topple forwards in surprise as the ball was diverted
on to the top of middle stump, sending both bails somersaulting
into the umpire's pockets. Oh la la, what a trick!
All this resulted in a lot of arm-waving.
The bowler was appealing for a runout with arms raised high; Takashi
was waving in protest against the appeal; Toddy was waving at two bits
of crumpet, crouching behind the boundary; Bruce, with arms pointed
downwards, was signalling a dead-ball, and the musketeer was waving
his bat around as usual.
Strangely, there had been no reply to the
question but it was time for your reporter to get real; whoever
has heard of dolphin curry? "I have", piped up Francis. Just ignore him
thought everyone, and they did.
After a wide and a dead-ball it was time
to get a grip and bowl something with a little more pep.
"You've got to put some chillies in, haven't
you?", the inswinging yorker.
"You don't know the half of it." R-G M
sandwiched this one with some relish, trapping the ball between the bat
and the crease. Before any of the fielders had mustered enough energy to
field it, the Dijonnaise Don booted it straight
back to the bowler, who was all too aware that there were only two deliveries
left.
"Any curry powder?"
"Yes". The Frenchman could contain himself
no longer, as he sent the ball flying back towards the stunned bowler,
and set off for a run. Takashi, in no mood to argue again, started off
too. Your reporter flung himself Neil-like, and got a hand
to it. But the ball had been hit with some spice and it ricocheted
from his hand to the off stump. Needless to say the batsmen hadn't crossed
and Takashi was out by a mile.
"100 yen", was the call that echoed from
under the helmet. What? We'd got a wicket hadn't we? Anyway
the ball didn't touch the ground till after it had hit the wicket so, technically,
it's not a dropped catch, is it? The penniless reporter was trying
every ploy from the Book of St Francis to the Excusians.
No need to worry though; the remark had
been aimed at the hapless Takashi, out for a duck, and the dropped
catch disappeared into the mists of Kytes history.
One more delivery, but before your undercover
man could take stock a shout came from Hiroko, the only person with the
vaguest clue as to the score. Apparently only two runs were needed for
victory, and the last batsman, Randy, was making his
way to the centre.
t was a tense situation. Your reporter
was in a quandary. There would be no other chances to solve the mystery
of the lunch-time curry, and there was also a game to win. The fielders
closed in even more, the batsman adjusted his box and the bowler started
his run. Time for a cool head; it all rested on the final delivery.
"What the f.."
"No ball!" bellowed umpire Santa, and the
musketeer had a free hit, thrusting the ball skywards toward Toddy at square
leg.
"Run!" shouted Randy, as he tore down the
pitch like a man possessed.
"No", was the firm riposte. Grandpere knew
the accuracy of Todd's throws, and that there would be another ball.
"Run", continued Randy undeterred, until
he stood face to face with an irate Gaul. Meanwhile the ball was
in the bowler's hands and a bail lay on the ground. Game over.
"Tie!" yelled everyone as they rushed off
the pitch, putting as much distance between themselves and the roller as
they could.
"No, it isn't", interjected the inconsolable
not-out batsman, "It's Indian. You start with a base of onions in a little
salad oil, and then mix in an assortment of 20-odd sachets of spices with
a selection of vegetables like potato, aubergine, carrot and chick peas,
and occasionally add some chicken pieces or mince, and let the whole
lot simmer for about 4 hours."
That's it, mission accomplished. Your investigative
reporter could now sleep soundly. But the chef de keep wasn't finished
yet.
"Of course, you can also...."
"La ferme!"
They made it this time. The Yokohama Country
& Athletic Club, the first ever cricket club in Japan, were warmly
welcomed at the ACO, not only by the Kytes team but also by a glorious
day, blue skies, sunny, still, 23?C, and low humidity. Unfortunately
the pitch was still soggy from a number of recent drenchings, and all reluctantly
agreed the mat was needed. The outfield was rough in places which, together
with the mat, would make run-getting a patient process.
YC&AC won the toss, elected to bat,
and Bruce and Mark were called on to open the Kytes' bowling.The mat also
poses difficulties for the bowlers; options are reduced, with anything
short sitting up, waiting to be smitten. Mark though plugged away and should
have been rewarded when a full toss provided a chance for Todd which he
bizarrely dropped, curiously citing a bump-ball as an excuse.
Bruce also battled well, and another chance
went Toddy's way. As he reacted like a sloth on
Benzalin we all expected a run-out. When the ball began its descent the
fielding coordinator raised his voice, "Todd?".
This was the cue for Toddy to flop forwards and grasp the round, red thing
between his forearms, before rolling over belly-up,
allowing the cherry to trickle onto his gut, eventually nestling
neatly in his navel.
It was a long time before another wicket
as Tony and Guy dug in. Tony played the game's definitive innings,
blocking the good balls and taking calculated risks with anything hittable.
This partnership built a solid foundation on which
later batsmen could let loose.
Bruce made the breakthrough with a well-deserved
lbw, but this only brought Yokohama's dangerman, Mark F, to
the crease, right after the drinks break at 17 overs.
It was time to unleash Todd. The keeper
forecast a first ball long hop, 1st slip Nick predicted a second
ball wide, and 2nd slip Anton foresaw the next as being a no ball. Toddo
didn't disappoint, as the slip cordon was proved completely
right. From the fourth delivery onwards though he fell into a much
better rhythm and, despite straying down leg too often, kept things pretty
tight for most of his spell.
Mark F, in truth, never looked comfortable
on the mat and, having survived some loud lbw appeals, finally
fell to one from Todd. It must have been a close call since Mark had taken
a few paces down the track. Toddles of course claimed
that it would have uprooted middle stump, but the important thing was
that the umpire sportingly called it as he saw it.
Nick at the mountain end was also experiencing
leg-side problems, but his continuous variation meant that the batsmen
could never really capitalize on any wayward stuff. To this stage the Yokohamen
whilst never in check, had been unable to fully dominate the Kytes bowling
and were probably looking at a total in the 170 region.
As YC&AC tried to push the score along
Todd induced a leading edge which chipped over Kevin at his customary
silly position. In a flash he pirouetted like an epileptic flamingo before
collapsing under the ball, cradling the all-important catch.
The same pair then produced a repeat performance to dismiss Tony
for an excellent 44, though this catch was much more straightforward, and
our Kev succeeded in maintaining his dignity.
Even though Skip unwittingly slipped Todd
in for an extra (8th) over the Men in White were left a little
exposed for the last few overs. With wickets in hand Yokohama's 6th wicket
pair hit out. It was certainly the right tactics
and nearly 50 runs were smashed from the last 18 deliveries, resulting
in a 35 over total of 210/5, a very good score.
Apart from Kev, who has added a new dimension
to his fielding, namely catching, and Niall, who
performed solidly throughout, it's probable that the rest of us weren't
all that satisfied with our efforts in the field.
There was little pattern to the batting which gave the v-c a tough time
with the field placings. Nevertheless he did a
great job, and it should be noted that an unsatisfactory fielding
display these days is of a higher standard than a good fielding display
from only a few seasons ago.
The Kytes' reply got off to a cracking
start as Anton blasted the 2nd and 3rd deliveries for
boundaries. Aided by no less than 6 wides, 17 runs were plundered from
the opening over. Needless to say this rate was not continued.
An immediate bowling change saw the arrival of Mark F at the ocean end.
He merely loped in to the wicket but his extensive
bowling arsenal swung, seamed and cut Anton and Martin
into defensive mode. Anton tried valiantly to mount some kind of offence
but 3 wickets fell in the 20's.
Todd put up some spirited resistance but
the spin from Alok and Tariq also caused major problems
for the batsmen. However when Mark finished his allotment Bruce and Anton
were at last able to bring some respectability to the Kytes'
score. Bruce though was bowled playing across the line and, when Anton
departed for an admirable 47, any lingering Kytes' hopes effectively disappeared.
The innings petered out to 88ao from 32
overs and YC&AC claimed victory by 122 runs. MVP:Anton.
All in all it had been a terrific day's cricket without a sledge in sight. The goodwill was prolonged at Yoshida's. Skip toasted the Yokohama club, noting that, following its establishment in 1878, it had taken 114 years before the first game against Shizuoka. Moreover it had been 14 years since the last game between the two clubs, so it was proposed that the next one be played in 14 days' time. While these figures and dates may not be strictly accurate (in fact 3 games were played in those 14 years), it is firmly intended to reactivate this fixture both and away henceforward.
Courtesy of Tariq's mobile dog and bone,
we learnt that Aamir & Amigos lost only 4 wickets in
overhauling LaLa's 106 runs in the Kanto Cup Final. All were relieved to
hear that there had been a clear result.
No-one was more pleased to see Randy at
the soba shop than the proprietress, who was spotted
breaking out of a scowl on a number of occasions.
Yoshiko paid a fleeting visit to pick up
fiance, Kevin. Despite being completely shagged out from the
game, he left to enjoy their last evening as an unmarried couple. They
were given a hearty round of applause on the eve of their
nuptials, precisely one year after they first met. We send them our very
best wishes.
Since everyone seems to recycle their copies of the Sky Times at the first available opportunity, here are both the questions and answers to last issue's test.
a) What is the maximum pitch-rolling time
before an innings? - Answer: 7 minutes
b) Can a pitch be watered during a match?
- Answer: No
c) Is a pitch mown during a 2-day game?
- Answer: Yes
d) If more than one roller is available,
who has the right of choice? - Answer: The batting team's captain
e) Can a bowler request the groundsman
to re-mark the crease? - Answer: Yes
So, the fifth and final test; the decider. The answers are to be found somewhere in this issue, so you can recycle the paper without missing anything.
a) In a high wind may the umpires dispense
with the bails?
b) The pitch length of 22 yards (20.12m)
is a traditional measurement. What is it traditionally
known as?
c) Can a pitch be changed during a game?
d) What is the distance between the bowling
crease and the stumps?
e) In a 2-day match what is the first innings
lead required for a follow-on?
Having cunningly driven off with their kit
after the previous game, the Kytes were able to entice the
Yokohama Country & Athletic Club to make another journey to the ACO
only 3 weeks later. Leaving the kit to fester in
Todd's room seemed made no difference to Yokohama's performance and their
8-man team (including Martin and Garth, who sportingly
guested for them) were led from the front by a rampant Mark Ferris.
A brave prediction before the game came
from Hiroko U who felt that "something will happen", but even she could
not foresee the batting fireworks, rivalling anything that the Abekawa
Hanabi Matsuri can offer.
Skip lost the toss, the act of flicking
the coin being his major contribution to the game, which
was played in perfect cricket conditions, unbroken sunshine, still and
dry, at 24?C. The pitch was in extremely good shape, dry and hard, with
something for batsmen and bowlers alike. Only for the match with
Fuji in July has it been in better nick.
Tony and Martin opened the batting for Yokohama
and Anton and Takashi took the new ball. Little did Skip know that neither
had slept a wink the previous night, one being in an extended drinking
session, the other playing Mah Jong. No prizes for guessing who was
doing what.
YC&AC got off to a steady start, with
Martin playing a few cultured shots. The v-c bowled a good,
tight spell, rewarded with the one wicket from a radically short delivery
that prompted an expletive from the bowler at about the same
time as Martin mistimed the ball which fell comfortably to Bruce at point.
Takashi completed an excellent stint, which
was probably the best wicketless effort by a Kyte this season, and
a double bowling change saw Nick and Bruce working in tandem.
Runs were still hard to come by and, though
Tony was able to block everything with ease, he had
problems in forcing the score along. Kamran was more adventurous but when
Bruce changed to round the wicket he slanted one across the batsman who
got a thick outside edge which fairly flew into R-G M's outstretched gloves,
a fine catch.
At this point with 20 overs completed the
score was merely 70-odd but the arrival of Mark F at the centre would
change everything. It wouldn't have done had Takashi taken a real chance
at square leg when Mark was on about 30, but he didn't,
so it did.
Bruce then produced another jaffa to clean
bowl Tony, but it did little to put Mark off his stride as he waded
into the Kytes' 5th, 6th and 7th string bowlers. They were belted all round
Akiyama-cho in a ferocious display of batsmanship. Not
since Aamir's 187 a few years ago has anything like this been witnessed
at the ACO. If Antony and Neil thought their bowling received some brutal
treatment, it was nothing to what Skip's lone over suffered. Mark pulverised
his full tosses and lashed his long hops in amassing 32 runs from this
over alone. It was later computed that during his innings of 157 he had
smashed a 50 from no less than 12 deliveries, and the "5th" bowlers
conceded 121 runs in their combined 7 overs.
On Bruce's return at the end of the innings
he eventually managed to gain Mark's prize wicket, literally breaking
the bails as Mark went out swinging in the final over.
Garth had time to tonk a boundary of his
own before falling to a superb direct-hit run out from Ume, who put in
a highly consistent fielding performance throughout. This brought a padless
Alok to the non-striker's end for the final delivery which was slashed
for yet another boundary but, even so, Bruce's figures ended
up on an outstanding 3/26.
The Yokohamen totalled 249/5 from their
35 overs, thumping 180 from the last 15. No-one wanted to admit
it, but once again Toddles had been sorely missed, and the Men in White
faced an uphill struggle, even against only 8 fielders.
Anton, who wanted to bat before he expired
completely, and Neil opened the Shizuokans reply. It was good to have Neil
back to partner the v-c, who had been without any real support the previous
game. Together they survived the opening spin attack of Alok and Tariq.
The wicket was definitely taking spin and it required
full concentration from the batsmen. However, wayward deliveries were in
evidence and many of these were despatched for boundaries. Anton
went first, bowled yet again and Neil went soon after.
This brought Takashi and Bruce to the crease
and, after a hesitant start, they too tried to force the pace
as Bruce weighed in with a few hefty swings, but the Kytes were never up
with the asking rate.
Ume then joined Takashi and chanced his
luck a bit. They pushed the score toward the 100 mark and Ume
top-scored with a fighting 35. Takashi occupied the crease well for his
19no and Antony and Kevin also got onto the scoresheet (did Kevin
mention his score of 4?).
Nick clobbered a few too but for the duckless
Kytes, with Malcolm waiting in the wings, it was too late. The Yokohamen
spread the bowling duties around, but their total had never been under
threat and the Kytes' 35 overs ended with score on 143/6; a
win for YC&AC by 106 runs. MVP:Takashi.
????On yet another beautiful Sunday there
were actually a few cricket fans present. This particular
cricket was, however, more like a praying-mantis, and the sight of of it
shoving its mouth-parts into a spoonful of the
lunch-time curry had the spectators enthralled for much of the afternoon.
????Those who were watching the game would
have seen a semi-decent Kytes batting performance with
Anton, Neil, Takashi, Ume and Nick all contributing well. The relaxed attitude
of the 8-man opposition made things somewhat easier,
but in the final analysis it was that epic innings from Mark that dominated
the game, and confirmed his place among the top cricketers in Japan.
Yoshida's beckoned and most of the Yokohama
team came along too. It was quite a lively and an
extremely friendly party that ensued, oiled by a \6,000 float, the fruits
of massive overpayment (mostly by Yokohamen) the previous
game. Kyoko, Belle & Arthur were welcomed as always as was, of course,
the lovely Anna. It was also nice to see Yukari
and Mitsuki but sadly Randy was not around. The proprietress
though seems now to have taken a shine to our Garth; she must like a bit
of meat on her men. We just don't have the heart to tell her that
he lives in Tokyo.
It's time to switch continents once more,
as our American member, Randy, comes under the spotlight. We're just in
time, since he will soon be returning to States, and we sincerely hope
that hurricanes don't strike twice.
Our abiding memories will not only include
the mad, directionless charges with the mower, or that he was
the first bowler to claim a hit wicket at the ACO, or that he never quite
got the hang of when to holler "Howzat", or some of his
lusty blows, or even the Randitent, but what will be remembered most is
his uncanny ability to put a smile on even the sourest face.
The answers to the editor's questionnaire
were returned in prose style so, in order to supply the full
flavour of Randy's replies, it is printed in full.
'm puzzled that anybody would want to know
these rather boring things about me but to answer your questions let me
start with my full name, which is Randolph Norris Schindler.
I'm 186cm (6*1 1/2") tall, I weigh 88 kilos
(193lbs) and I was born on October 9th, 1959 in Oakland, California. I'm
currently studying for the MCSE (Microsoft Certified System Engineer) exams
and my current mode of transport is the *Box Bicycle'.
The Box Bicycle has drawn much interest and generous
offers (Kevin offered to puke on it) but it is not currently for sale.
I read the Japan Times daily along with
the PointCast Network. The PointCast Network (http://www.pointcast.com)
is a free "Push" type software program that gathers articles from 11 selectable
sources like "The New York Times", "Globe and Mail", "ZDNet", "Wired News",
along with a great weather channel that features daily satellite pictures
of Japan, North America, Europe and even Australia.
PointCast is great because all you have to do is click on its update button
and it gathers and presents all the articles and
photos from your selected channels.
I found the questions about my favorites
tough, in that I have no absolute favorite anything
except for my favourite beer in Shizuoka, which is the Dunkel beer at the
Shizuoka brewery, but I'll give it a shot just for you.
Film - Jeremiah Johnson is one of my favorite
Robert Redford pictures for its rugged individualist theme and pathos,
although I think Paul Newman is probably my favorite actor. As for my favorite
actress I really like a combination of smarts and sex appeal, which
is probably why at this moment I can't think of anything except
WC Field's campy love interest, Mae West.
My favorite book is the Bible, while some
readers might think I'm being disingenous, my two years in
a catholic seminary forever impressed upon me the depth and breadth of
the Bible.
My favorite meal is Mexican, favorite fruit
is orange, favorite vegetable is asparagus, favorite
boyhood sporting hero is/was the Oakland Raider quarterback/field goal
kicker George Blanda whose heroic campaigns got me hooked on American football.
Favorite sportsman is that ruthless Michael
Jordan, sportswoman is currently Steffi Graf, favorite CD is James
Taylor/Greatest Hits, and favorite group is the Pat Metheny Group (jazz
man!).
My greatest weakness is not being able
to face my greatest weakness (whatever that may be) and my
greatest strength is self-sacrifice.
The most respected quality I find in others
is the ability to speak the truth in a humourous way. My favorite
type of woman is the one I'm married to now, so it makes no sense to think
of any other.
The most memorable sporting moment witnessed
is when I saw that a broken baseball bat had lodged in
the throat of a catcher named Chuck Yeager during a Los Angeles baseball
game. My most memorable sporting event was when my high school won the
state championship.
My motto in life is that self-sacrifice
leads to success.
My future dream is to see my sons (Ken
and Jo) grow into bilingual student athletes.
Amazing, I answered all the questions!"
The answers are: ??
a) Yes, b) A chain, c) Yes, d) 0cm, e)
100 runs
At Port of Spain in 1926 Barbados, with
a first innings of 175 faced an almost hopeless struggle when Trinidad
amassed 559, and a huge lead of 384. Undeterred, Barbados replied with
a stupendous 726/7 declared, and eventually clinched a most unlikely
125 run victory when Trinidad fell for 217 in their second innings.
????In case you are wondering where the
time was found to score a combined 1,677 runs in this amazing
game, it was a timeless match (fashionable in the 20's and 30's), and this
particular encounter spanned 8 days.
PS, should anyone wish to make any contribution(s)
to this newsletter then the editor would be only
too grateful. There are 4 ways to do this:
a) By fax to 054-256-4417
b) By E-mail to pat-chi@mve.biglobe.ne.jp
c) Give it to Skip or R-G M
d) Post it to Druids CC, Stonehenge, c/o
Wiltshire Landfill Corp.